Internal-explosion engine.



w. L. MINOR. INTERNAL EXPLOSION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1915- I 1 183 891 Patented May 23,1916.

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WITNESS ATTORNEYS,

W. L. MINOR. INTERNAL EXPLOSION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1915.

Patented May 23, 1916.

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WESLEY L. MINOR, OIE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

INTERNAL-EXPLOSION GINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 29, 1915. Serial No. 36,955.

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WESLEY L. MINOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Internal-Explosion Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My said improvement relates particularly to the valve mechanism of internal explosion engines, my object being to provide simple and effective means for controlling the intake and exhaust of such engines without the aid of the springcontrolled, or puppet valves now so commonly used.

Briefly described my invention consists essentially-of a pair of' positively driven, continuously rotating, valves for each cyle inder so timed with respect to each other that the said valves are closed during the compression and explosion of each charge of vaporized gasolene; and the intake valve is closed as the companion valve is opened to exhaust the spent charge.

My invention is clearly illustrated in the annexed drawings, Figure 1 being a transverse sectional view of an engine embodying my present improvement, taken at a level just above the intake and exhaust pipes, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of such an engine taken on the line 2-2 of said Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View of said engine taken on the line 3,3 of.Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is an underside view of one of the valvechamber heads (31). Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are relatively enlarged transverse sectional views of a segment of the shell of the explosion cylinder and of the intake and exhaust valves, showing said valves in the successive and relative positions assumed by the valves during one cycle of thepiston, that is to say, from the time a charge of gas is exploded in the cylinder until the explosion chamber has been cleared of the waste products and is about to take in a fresh charge of gas.

Referring now specifically to these drawings, the numeral 20 indicates theengine cylinder, 21 the piston mounted to slide therein, and 22 denotes the explosion chamber. The cylinder is mounted upon a suitable base, which is illustrated, in the instance, as a housing 23 in which is journaled a crankshaft 24 which is connected with the piston by means of a rod 25, the construction of the engine, as thus far described being substantially the, same as in internal explosion engines as now in commonuse; 26. indicatesv the intake pipe, 27 the exhaust pipe and 28 the cylinder head.

Looated at one side of the cylinder 20 are circular valve chambers 29 and 30 that are arranged in parallel relation to each other and are connected, respectively, with the explosion chamber 22 by ports. 29 and30 the valve chamber 29 being connected with theintake pipe 26and the chamber 30 being connected with the exhaust pipe 27.

Within each valve chamber is a packed cylindrical shell, that is open at its lower end and closed at its'upper end, each shell belng formed with a circumferential open- 1ng which is adapted to register with the ports 29 or 30 as the case may be, when the engine is, in service and thus to permit a fresh charge to enter the cylinder and a spent charge to be exhausted therefrom, as I will now explain more specifically.

The cylindrical shells, above mentioned,

are identified by the numerals 31 and'32, the shell 31 being located in the intake valve chamber 29 andthe shell 32 being located in the chamber 30. Shell 31 is formed with a circumferential opening 31 and shell 32 is formed with a circumferential opening 32, the said shells being shown by solid black line andthe fixed (nonrotatable) packing is shown by section linesin Figs. 5,6, 7 and 8, while in Figs. 1,2 and 3 the shells are shown by section lines and the said packing is in solid black lines.

Fixed on the crank-shaft 2 1 is a bevel gear 33 which meshes with and drives a like gear 34 fixed on the'lower end portion of a ve'rt'b cal shaft 35 which carries, at its upper end, a pinion gear 36 which serves as a driver for spur gears, 37-38, located on opposite sides of the saidpinion gear; said spur gear 37 being fixed on the lower end portion of a vertical shaft 39 whoseupper endis squared and is located in a correspondingly squared scribed arrangement of gears, shafts, andshells being such that, when the crank-shaft 24 is in revolution, the shells 31 and 32 are caused to rotate continuously in the same direction.

Patented May 23.1916.

- one quarter turn, the

point and the crank In'the operation of the engine it should be noted that the rotary motion of the valves is coincident with the turning of the crank shaft, andis uniform, while the piston on its upward stroke accelerates in speed from its, lowest point to the center of stroke, then diminishes in speed from center to the ex tremity of its upward stroke. The exhaust valve begins to open as the piston starts to ascend and reaches its widest opening when thelargest amount of waste gases are to be removed: namely, at the center of stroke, and is entirely closed at the end ofthe upward stroke. At this point the intake valve has arrived at a position ready to open and, as the piston begins its downward descent, it gradually opens and when the piston reaches the center of its downward stroke it is wide open and immediately begins to close and, as the piston reaches its lowest point, it is entirely closed. The valves at each upward stroke of piston revolve one quarter turn, and at each downward stroke revolve piston, having reached the bottom of its stroke, drawing in the fresh gas charge; it again starts on its up ward stroke compressing the charge, both valves having moved over one quarter of a circle and presenting a solid closure of ports, during the entire upward movement of the piston. As the piston reaches its highest passes the center, the explosion takes place, driving the piston down, the valves, as before, closing the exhaust and intake ports, until as the piston reaches the bottom the valves have revolved to the position as first described.

In the annexed drawings, Fig. 5 shows the positions of the intake and exhaust shells when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke, the fresh charge having just been I taken into the explosion chamber and the intake port 29 having been closed; Fig. 6 shows the positions of said shells when the piston is up and the charge in compressed; Fig. 7 shows the positions of the shells at the instant of the explosion and Fig. 8 shows said positions just after the waste gases have been exhausted.

As a particularly convenient means for supporting (and inspecting when necessary Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. 0.

the valve shells 31 and 32) I have formed the inner end portion of the top of each shell with a square opening 81 which fits onto the upper end of the shaft 39 or 40 as the case may be. The shells are then prevented from leaving the said shafts by a head or plate 4:1 which is fixedly secured to the casing in which the said shells rotate, by means of screws l2. When it is desired to reach the shells it is only necessary to remove the plate 41 when the shells may be readily lifted off from the upright shafts and out of the casing.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent 1. An engine of the type described, including offset cylindrical casings and a main cylindrical casing, said first referred to casings and said latter casing having ported communication and communication with intake and exhaust pipe connections respectively, said offset cylindrical casings being provided interiorly with cylindrical ported shells, each shell being arranged concentrically with respect to its inclosing casing, intergeared shafts with their upper ends ap plied to and adapted to actuate said shells, a driven cranked shaft, and an intermediate shaft, said shell-actuating shafts, said intermediate shaft and said cranked shaft all being intergeared, a cylinder, a piston therein and pitman connection between said piston and said crank shaft.

2. In connection with the inlet and exhaust ports of an internal explosion engine, rotatable closures for said ports comprising cylindrical shells with circumferential openings, means for moving said shells so as to bring their openings into register with said ports, and means for rotating said closures in unison with the reciprocating movements of the piston including a driven cranked shaft duplicate inter-geared shafts actuating said shells, a cylinder containing said piston, a pitman between said piston and said crank shaft and an intermediate shaft, said duplicate shell-actuating shafts, said intermediate shaft and said driven shaft all being intergeared.

WESLEY L. MINOR.

Commissioner of Patents, 

